We live in a townhouse. When Reid was small, we were always on the same floor to be safe. And close. And, yet, we played hide-and-seek together. It went something like this.

Mama counts and allows time for concealment before beginning the hunt. “Is she behind the curtains in the living room?” she asks. “No. Maybe she is beside the bookcase?” And so it went, from speculating about the hall closet, bathroom, under the table, beside the china cabinet and in the pantry to the end of the couch.

Wondering aloud built suspense as Reid knew her non-hiding spots were being ruled out. It prolonged the game. There were, after all, only so many place to hide on the main floor. It gave Reid ideas for places to hide on her next turn and when to look for her mama.

For reasons not exactly clear to me, Reid is interested in ways to save money. She isn’t thinking obvious ones, like eating at home instead of at a restaurant or not going places that charge admission, though. When we first started talking about Reid taking cello lessons, she said that it would be a good way to save money on electricity since we wouldn’t need to listen to the radio, just to her playing the music. We talked about taking art classes this morning and immediately Reid suggested that she could write and illustrate books. So that I wouldn’t have to buy any, of course. It’s good to have an artist/performer in the family to save costs right. (No, I never point out how much money the lessons cost. ;+)

At the supper table tonight, Reid was talking about how good it be if she could take art classes near the pool where her swimming lessons are held, especially if there is a gas station and bank nearby. She explained it all clearly: we could walk from the swimming lesson to art class without needing gas but when we did need gas, we could walk to the bank to get the money and then drive to the gas station. Many of Reid’s sentences are at least as long as that last one. It’s a gift we share.

I’m not sure if these are the first signs of Reid as a budding accountant or financial advisor but it’s nice to know that she has an eye on the bottom line.

Reid has a lot of clothes. I’m not sure exactly how it happens. I remember distinctly deciding to buy 5 pair of stretchy pants, 1 pair of jeans, a similar number of tips and a dress for fall/winter. I may have neglected to check the dresser where the amazingly cheap but too big clothes are stored until Reid can wear them. As time passed, she needed (I’m sure it was need and not my wanting) a pair of black velour pants to match her new red shirt for the Christmas singalong. (There was another name for the event officially but we sang two songs about Hannukah and that’s about it. In any case, it’s a different story entirely.) Plus, there are people in Reid’s life who buy her clothes. Who am I to deny them this small pleasure?

And so it was that Reid’s dresser drawers came to look like this:

At first – in honour of this Tidy up Tuesday post – I started piling the long-sleeved shirts together and laying them next to the short-sleeved ones. But then it struck me how I almost never see some of these shirts on Reid. Also, the piles were dauntingly high. Being a woman of action (when forced, like when I’ve decided to blog about tidying something up), I chose a different strategy. I began putting outfits together: shirts, pants, underwear and socks. Oh, how proud my mother would be!

In the end, Reid’s drawers look more like this:

There are a few orphan shirts in another drawer. The orange one, bought especially for black and orange day at school, for example, is waiting for a suitable pair of pants to come from the wash. I counted 22 bundles in the main drawer. That’s more than 3 weeks of outfits, if you’re counting and that doesn’t include the dresses in the closet.

The bundle system is working very well in the mornings, as well. I grab one out and hand it to Reid. She has – so far – put the clothes on without protest. Once I she noticed a second bundle and mixed and matched from the clothes in the two but as long as she doesn’t see another option, she hasn’t asked. Many of the clothes are on a farewell tour. The shirts are showing belly and the pants are showing ankles. By the time we’ve gone through them all, it should be short-sleeved shirt and capri time. I’ll just have to be more careful as I shop. No, really!

When Reid was little, kissing involved a rounded mouth, usually drooling, an oddly-timed smacking noise, and love shining from her eyes. Who knows how babies figure out that kisses are all about the love?

Later, moments it seems but really months, magical kisses would wake Mama up. Mama would fall asleep at the most inappropriate times and with no notice. Mama, who managed to snore with an exhale that puckered her lips, loved these kisses.

Now, a big girl of six-and-three-quarters is becoming stingy with her kisses. Sometimes pure mischief shines from the eyes as the kiss happens. With a stuck out tongue in its midst. Drool again!

Instead of pranking Ken for April Fool’s Day this year, I decided to target Reid. I couldn’t take advantage of ideas relating to switching drawers in the Reid’s dresser or pinning her underwear together since she doesn’t choose her own clothes. I know, I know. At 6, Reid is old enough to do this but my life is easier – and Reid’s room is tidier – when I do the choosing.

What I tried, instead, was serving pizza for breakfast. “Here are your pancakes,” I said as I placed the plate in front of her. “April Fool.” Reid looked at me in a disgusted sort of way and said, “That’s not an April Fool’s.” If she knew about Charles Dickens and Scrooge, she would have said, “Bah humbug!” Well, I sent her off with Cheerios in her thermous and a note on the front that said, “Poisson d’avril. Ajoute du lait.” It said also, “Je t’aime.” Because I do. We’ll have to see what Reid thought of the prank when she gets home.

When Brie mentioned starting a series of “Monday Moments” with a post about reading, I knew the moment I wanted to share and even the picture that captured the moment.

Since Grade 1 started, Reid has been spending more and more time reading. I can even write that without the quotes I would have added a year ago. She can now manage books with plots rather than heavily repetitive sentences. But the day in January, when she lay in the laundry pile with the book she wanted Ken or I to read to her and read it to herself instead was the moment I thought, “Hey, Reid can read!” Of course I grabbed my camera and captured it.

Parents could not have been prouder of their child than Ken and I were as Reid read Ella Sarah Gets Dressed that night.